Improvement in furnaces and tools for treating iron and steel



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@anni WILLIAM YATES, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

Letters Patent No. 87,231, dated Februar/ry 23, 1869.

DWPROVEMENT IN FURNACES AND TOOLS FOR TREATIN'G- IRON AND STEEL.

The Schedule referred to in these' Letters Patent and making part o! the same.

To allvhom 'itmay concern.- v

Improvement in the Furnaces and Tools to be Used in Metallurgie Operations; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this sA ification.

My invention of improvements in the furnaces and tools to be usedin metallurgie operations relates more particularly to puddling, converting, and reheating-fu'rnaces, in which iron and steel are operated upon; and consists in constructing such furnaces, or protecting their inner surfaces by a lining, so that they will be better able to resist the great heat to which such -i'urnaces are exposed in metallurgie operations.

In constructing a new furnace, say, for example, a rotary puddling-furnace,. such as that shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a furnace constructed according to my improvements;

Figure 1, a transverse section of the same;

Figures 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8, represent details; and

Figure 5, a modiiied form of construction of the furnace.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

I form a cylinder, as shown in the longitudinal section, iig. 1, of a suitable number of wedge-shaped bars, a a c, of malleable cast-iron, steel, or other suitable alloy of iron, which is not Weldable, or weldahle with diiculty, and which melts only at a very high heat.

One of these bars-is shown detached, in side and end elevations, at gs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of another form of bar, which is wider than that shown at g. 3.

Ordinary wrought-iron, in its natural state, is not applicable to be used for the bars aca-for the purposes of my invention, but if bars made of ordinary wroughtiron be heated in a mass of fused prussiate of potash, its surface will be so far hardened as to render/it difficult to weld, and, therefore, when so prepared, may be employed either for lining or for constructing some of the kinds of furnaces hereafter mentioned.

The wedge-shaped bars above mentioned, of malle able cast-iron, steel, or other alloy of iron, are secured in place either by being placed inside a casing, b, made of sheet-iron, as shown at iig. 1, or by means of metal bands, or rings, or in any other convenient manner, or the wedge-shaped bars may be attached or diced to end plates, c (l, made of malleable cast-iron or steel, in which are made openings, c' d', for obtaining access to the interior ofthe cylinder.

Instead of constructing or lining the rotary puddlingcylinder with longitudinal bars a a, as shown in g.'1 and the cross-sectional view, g. l, the cylinder may be formed of a series of rings or segments, e e, as shown in the partial longitudinal section, g. 5, and also at e e, in the cross-section, fig. 1.

One of these segments is shown detached, in side elevation and cross-section, at figs. 6 and 7'.

Bessemer converting-vessels, the hearths ofpuddlingfurnaces, or reheating-u'naces, and other parts of furnaces used in metallurgie operations, may be also made of a number of blocks or bars of malleable cast-iron, steel, f

or other suitable alloy of iron, of convenient shape, sc cured together in any suitable manner.

I also propose to line ordinary puddling or other furnaces, such as those above mentioned, with bars or blocks of malleable iron, steel, or other suitable alloy of iron, in place of the lining now used, and which, it is well known, is quickly worn away by the heat of the molten`metal, and becomes incorporated with the metal,

which is thereby much deteriorated in quality whereas, according to my improvements, I do not'ind it necessary to employ any brick or earthen lining, as is now the case.

These malleable castfirou-bars or blocks may, if desired, be made hollow, or perforated, as shown in the detached views, ig. 8, in order to save weight and material, and to allow the blocks or pieces to be more readily acted upon during the process of decarbonization, whereby the metal is converted into malleable cast-iron.

Water or air may, if desired, be AIn ade to low through the blocks or bars, in order to keep them cool.

It will be obvious that furnaces' caube made entirely of malleable cast-iron, but, for the sake of economy, it will be found preferable that the lining only should be formed of this more expensive material.

When the furnace (of whatever form or construction) has been made, it will be necessary to fill up all the crevices between the blocks or bars a or e; to which end, iron cinder or scale, or titanic iron-ore, or such like lire-resisting material, is melted in the furnace, so that it may run intoand close up all cracks or crevices.

The tools, or rabbles, to be used in puddling iron in the ordinary manner, may also be made of malleable cast-iron or steel, as these substances will only weld with great'diiiiculty.

I make only the lower or working-part of the tool of malleable cast-iron, and this part may be riveted on to an iron handle, or securedin a tubular handle, such as a piece of wrought-iron gaapipe.

A tap-holder opening, e4, fig. l, is provided, for the purpose of running ofi' the excess of melted cinder, or

Vto run oii any molten substance that may be in the cylinder.

Having thus described my invention, The above specification of my invention signed by 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters me, this 13th day of November, 1868.

Patent- WILLM YATES. [n 3.]

l.' Constructing puddliug and other furnaces, used Witnesses:

in metallurgie operations, of, or lining them with nmi- FRED. WALKDEN,

leable castfiron, steel, or other alloy of iron which is 66 Chancery Lmw, London,

not, weldzibie, or Weidzible with difficulty. M. WYNN,

2. Marking the puddling-tools, or Pebbles, of mallea Royal Exchange, London. ble cast-iron, as herein set forth. 

